Indian rocket launch fails, Earth-observation satellite lost
World
The failure was due a problem with the third stage of the mission's Polar Satellite Launch
(Web Desk) - India's attempt to launch an Earth-observing radar satellite on Saturday night ended in failure.
The Indian Space Research Organisation's (ISRO) EOS-09 spacecraft lifted off atop a Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) rocket from Satish Dhawan Space Centre on Saturday.
The satellite was lost due to an issue with the third stage of the rocket about six minutes into the launch.
"The PSLV is a four stage vehicle. Up to the second stage, the performance was quite normal," ISRO Chairman V. Narayanan said in a televised statement after the launch.
"Third stage, motor started perfectly, but during the functioning of the third stage, we are seeing a observation, and the mission could not be accomplished. After analysis, we shall come back."
The EOS-09 launch was intended as the ninth mission in India's Earth Observation Satellite series. The satellite was equipped with a synthetic aperture radar (SAR) payload, which had been it successfully deployed, would have allowed observations of our planet both day and night and through cloud cover.
"Its ability to provide round-the-clock, reliable intelligence is especially significant given ongoing security concerns along India’s borders with Pakistan and China," Indian media reported , before the launch failure.
Tonight's launch was the 101st to date for ISRO and the 63rd for the four-stage, 146-foot-tall (44.5 meters) PSLV. The workhorse rocket was flying in its "XL" configuration, which featured six strap-on solid rocket boosters. This was only the third failure in the rocket's 32-year history.
